Many supposed modern translation systems only use a form of a machine translation system or only use electronic dictionaries for looking up word combinations or natural-language sentences while one reads printed texts or texts on a display screen. However, dictionaries are generally limited to only words and word combinations, while using a machine translation system requires more time and more electronic storage or a connection to the Internet. Thus, there is substantial room for improvement of existing translation systems for translation of blocks or fragments of text.
There is a plethora of electronic devices with display screens capable of displaying text, including devices with a touch screen, including many mobile devices, such as laptops, tablet computers, netbooks, smartphones, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), e-book readers, and photo and video cameras. These devices are suitable for using electronic dictionaries or a machine translation system which may be installed locally, provided on a local area network, or available over the Internet.